Fatty Acids Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Aristolochia longa L. and Bryonia dioica Jacq. Growing Wild in Tunisia

The composition of the fatty acids of the roots and aerial parts of Aritolochia longa (Aristolacheae) and Bryonia dioica (Cucurbutaceae) was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The oils extracted from the aerial parts of both species were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids with the essential linolenic and linoleic acids being the most prominent compounds. Oleic and linoleic acids were the majors fatty acids in the roots of both species. Whatever the plant part analyzed and the species, the saturated fatty acids were predominantly composed of palmitic and stearic acids. The antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the lipid extracts were determined against a panel of five bacterial strains. The results showed that the sensitivity to the lipid extracts was different for the test bacterial strains, and the susceptibility of gram positive bacteria was found to be greater than gram negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity of the root lipid extracts was particularly important against Enterococcus feacium (CMI value of 125 mu g/mL; CMB values > 250 mu g/mL) and Streptococcus agalactiae (CMI value of 125 mu g/mL; CMB values 250 mu g/mL for A. longa roots). These results indicate that A. longa and B. dioica could be considered as good sources of essential fatty acids which can act as natural antibacterial agents.